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Right now things are overwhelming. You have a vulnerable loved one in a nursing home whom you think has been abused or neglected. Your loved one is dependent on the nursing home to care for her—even if one or more of the staff members is hurting her.
You know that you need to take action quickly to prevent further harm and to protect your loved one’s rights, but you don’t want to make things worse. Don’t wait to find out what can be done, because your time to take action is short. Instead, we encourage you to read the free tips provided below and to contact us any time—24/7/365—via this website to get the answers that you need to protect your loved one.
Six Things You Need to Know Right Now
As you begin protecting your loved one’s physical and legal rights, you need to know about:
- The risk factors for nursing home abuse. Any nursing home resident can be abused or neglected. However, residents suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, residents who do not have frequent visitors, and residents who live in nursing homes with high staff turnover, poor staff training, or lack of abuse and neglect policies may be at greater risk of injury.
- The signs and symptoms of abuse. Any change in behavior or medical condition that cannot be explained by a physician could be a sign of abuse or neglect. This could include (but is not limited to) bruising, weight loss, bedsores, anger, sadness, and poor hygiene.
- Reporting nursing home abuse in Wisconsin. You have the right to report suspected nursing home abuse or neglect to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Department of Quality Assurance (DQA). As long as your claim is made in good faith then there is no consequence for being wrong. However, the consequence to your love one and other residents can be significant if you stay silent.
- The things you should do as soon as possible. There are certain steps that you should take as soon as you think your loved one may have been abused or neglected. These steps include getting the resident medical care, preserving evidence, and notifying the state.
- The things you should not do. Some mistakes such as confronting staff members or waiting too long to act can hurt your loved one’s changes of making a full or fair recovery.
- The rights of all nursing home residents. The Nursing Home Reform Act and other laws and regulations provide specific rights for nursing home residents. Among these rights are a right to dignity, a right to privacy, and a right to live free from abuse.
Then, equipped with this information and the support of an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer, you need to take action. Action may include moving your loved one to another facility, preserving evidence, entering arbitration, and filing a complaint in state court to make sure that the nursing home is held accountable and that your loved one is able to recover as fully as possible for the abuse or neglect that she never should have had to suffer.
Let Us Help You Give Your Loved One a Voice—and a Recovery
Nursing home residents do not give up their rights to be treated with dignity and respect when they enter a long term care facility. Their age and their ailments do not give nursing home staff permission to hurt them—even if the staff members are overworked or underpaid.
Our attorneys are passionate about fighting for the rights of the nursing home residents who have been abused and neglected in Wisconsin. We want to get a fair recovery for each individual and to hold nursing homes accountable for their actions. To learn more, we invite you to read our FREE book, Guide for Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Victims: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Legal Rights and Get Every Dollar You Deserve and to call us at 1-800-800-5678 to schedule your free consultation.
